


The Beskar Guard

by mandos_other (thescroller)



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Action & Romance, Adventure & Romance, Angst and Romance, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kind of AU, Mandalorian Armor (Star Wars), Planet Mandalore (Star Wars), Romance, Slow Burn, Smut, Swearing, The Mandalorian (TV) Season 2, dark themes, the princess in the tower
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:08:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29704521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thescroller/pseuds/mandos_other
Summary: {before the asset}You were always a trouble maker, something that should make your powerful father proud, but instead earns you a babysitter. The mostly silent Mandalorian is nothing more than a challenge to you - seeing how long you can drive him crazy before he cracks under the pressure. Much to your surprise, he is always prepared for everything you throw at him.Before you know it, the two of you are in some compromising positions, ones that have you wondering just what his motives are and what will happen when it's time for him to leave.
Relationships: Din Djarin/Reader, Din Djarin/You, Mandalorian - Relationship
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

* * *

"Be careful Kitten," he muttered, his breath soft in the darkness of your quarters. "You might be crossing a line." 

Scoffing, you grinned knowingly at his shadow leaning against the wall. "Oh?" 

Within a breath, the large steely man was leaning over where you were perched on your bed, his hand gripping your chin firmly forcing you to look up at his covered face. "Trust me, if we go there, we aren't coming back." 

"Who says I want to come back?" 

* * *


	2. The Landing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Mandalorian lands on a new planet where he approached by a group of shadows who can help with his newest bounty, but at a price that can only make things more difficult for you.

The Razor Crest rocked and swayed as the Mandalorian within swore at himself for braving taking on those Imperial ships without back up. Not that he would have been able to get some in time, but still, he could have alerted the locals in the surrounding areas of what laid ahead. Whatever they had hit in the back of his ship had cut off his radio, not allowing him to send out the proper beacons or alert the local landing bay that he was coming in hot.

At this point, he was simply hoping for anything other than a hostile welcoming.

With a silent prayer, he was able to land the large ship in one piece without losing too much of the engine to his left. And from the looks of his surroundings, he could make out that there were various life forms moving about the bay, but none seemed all too concerned with his arrival. Taking a moment to collect himself, he reached for his valuables while making sure he had all the appropriate weapons on hand should he need them. He was often a target on his own, despite what he was currently chasing down.

Making sure the tracking fob was tucked away, he opened the back platform and made his way out into the unknown that was Savareen. He was greeted with nothing but sand and the chittering of something to his right. When he turned, he noticed there was a line of formal-looking cloaks that stepped forward, almost as if they were coming from the shadows. Instinct took over and Din reached for his pistol about ready to draw it forward when a soft, level voice came through the quieting chaos around him.

“There is no need for violence,” the shadow spoke, stepping forward even more while the others stayed back. “We know why you are here and we can help.”

* * *

“Ha, I win again Zoros,” you smirked at the blue alien across from you while happily leaning forward and pulling all the credits forward. “At this point, you might want to just start tossing these things my way before the game even starts.”

The alien threw down his hand of cards before standing and muttering something in his foreign language. Despite your father always harassing you about the importance of learning the languages of the galaxy, you never really felt the need. Especially if all you needed to know what how to tell someone how much you were kicking their ass at cards, the money spoke for itself.

Busying yourself with counting, you waited for your next victim to make its way.

“Y/N.”

That familiar icy tone had you frozen in your spot, the cool credit warming in your palm as you stared ahead, not daring to turn around to the look of displeasure that would have graced his face, just as it always did when he found you anywhere but the palace. “Rafan,” you said slowly, rubbing the pad of your thumb over the slick credit still in your hand.

“Your father is requesting your presence.”

Of course, he was, there was only ever a reason that Father’s right-hand man came looking for you in the middle of the night. “Tell him he can wait until the morning.”

All the hustle and bustle of the underground card game seemed to fall silent as you felt the firm grip of a cold metal hand on your shoulder. “I have orders to take you in with force if I need to,” his voice continued to stay calm and collected as if the two of you were just talking about the weather. “I don’t think you want me to do that in front of your new… friends.”

Stealing a look around, almost every single being that was squished in the tight quarters of the room had their eyes on the man behind you. Not that you blamed them, Rafan was the kind of man that demanded attention. He was also the reason that you knew that your cover was totally blown with this crew. There would be no card games in the future for you here.

With a sigh, you threw down the credits and stood, aggressively shrugging off the hand on your shoulder before turning to face the man of the hour. Despite having known the man your whole life, the scars that riddle the stern look on his face always caught you off guard. His dark skin drew out the blueness in his eyes, the way they reflected the sky on a warm day while the scars along his right cheek and across his left eye gave way to the fact that he had seen some things. Even more when you caught a glimpse of his mechanical hand under his long robes.

“Let’s get this show on the road,” you said with a sigh, shoving past the man and out into the cool night.

Rafan managed to stay quiet while he trailed behind you. The walk through the bazaar at this time of night was an easy one with very few citizens wanting to be caught by the things that went bump in the night, so you really didn’t need the escort back home, but knowing your father, he had probably insisted that you were not to leave his line of sight.

As the oversized palace grounds came into view, the lush green grounds standing out in the sandy bleak city, Rafan finally spoke the obvious. “This is the third time this week alone,” he said in that calm tone of his. “Your father is not pleased.”

“Is he ever with me?”

There was a humorless chuckle from him. It gave you goosebumps as it reached your ears. “When you focus on your studies and know when you should stay quiet, he is always so thrilled.”

Thankful that he could not see the large eye roll you just gave, you squeezed your mouth shut while passing through the grounds, noting that several of the guards took a glance at you and stilled briefly before shaking their heads. Something was different tonight, usually, everyone was at attention and concerned about your walk of shame back to the royal chambers, but everyone seemed to be a little bit more relaxed? Was that possible when your father reigned with a sense of stern control?

Entering the main hall, the air felt different. It was not the kind of thing you felt like you could explain to anyone who asked, but it swirled and tightened with every breath in your chest. It was almost growing thicker as you approached the heavy doors that led to where your father would be waiting with that bored look of disapproval at his one and only child. The one that was supposed to have spent the night studying her politics and having been tucked into her bed chambers with a guard outside the door several hours ago.

“Ready?” Your escort asked as he side-stepped around you to stand before the doors.

“Ready to get it over with.”

If you didn’t know any better, you would think that he gave you a knowing smirk like he knew something you didn’t. Once more, your stomach twisted with uncertainty at the unusual behavior surrounding you, but you held it together as the sturdy doors lurched forward with a loud groan. Sure enough, your father was wide awake, his evening robes flowing across his large seat at the head of the hall as he glanced up from the book in his hands like he was just doing some light reading.

He eyed you, his tired gray eyes glancing at your choice of common robes before looking over at Rafan. “What was it tonight?”

“Just cards,” he answered disinterestedly.

“Thank the stars,” he said sarcastically before he turned his attention back to where you were standing waiting for whatever punishment that was going to be thrown your way. “Have anything you want to say for yourself?”

That thickness still settled in your chest, so you only were able to give him a small shrug. “I was bored and couldn’t sleep.”

Despite the look of exhaustion that plagued his face, you caught the ghost of a smirk at your answer. “Naturally.”

Now it was your turn to give a small smile at your father. One of the few things the two of you shared was insomnia in varying forms. He used his to catch up on the important things that came with overseeing the planet of Savareen or reading the latest political journal while you used yours to see what was so exciting outside of the palace walls - the very walls you had been confined in for the last twenty or so years of your life.

The two of you held eye contact for no more than a few seconds before he cleared his throat and gave a nod towards Rafan, silently releasing him from his babysitting duties. It was quiet as his steps echoed out the hall and the doors closed with that familiar groan so that it was just the two of you. Not knowing what to do with yourself, you focused on how dirty your hands looked in the bright lights, something that would surely get a lecture during one of your lessons tomorrow.

“You know I don’t want you sneaking out,” his voice came out gentle, but stern. “Something could happen to you.”

“But nothing did.”

He stood from his spot, those robes hanging off him heavily as he took the steps down to meet you where you stood shifting your weight back and forth on your heels. “That doesn’t mean it won’t always be the case Little One.”

You knew he was right and that he was just simply concerned for you. Ever since what had happened to your mother, he did not waste any expenses at keeping you safe - one of the many reasons you were rarely given the privilege of getting out of the palace grounds. Sometimes it was suffocating, but having known what your father had been through you couldn’t blame him. Which is why sneaking out made it so much easier than having to have fight after fight for basic freedom.

His eyes continued to roam your face as you remained silent before him. “I think it’s time for a change,” he finally said, turning away from you and nodding towards something off to the side of the hall.

“A change?” You asked, your interest suddenly peaked at your father doing something different. He was a man of habit and old ways, ones that were considered very out of date, so the mere suggestion of something new excited you more than it should.

“Yes,” he nodded once more, “a much-needed one I think.”

Just as you opened your mouth to inquire more, a shadow moved forward from the spot your father had been facing. A large man stepped into the light, his armor reflecting the glare was almost blinding as he moved to stand beside your father. He was much broader than your frail old man, he towered over him with the thick layers of protection. The way he carried himself, his silence, and overall demeanor was all you needed to see to know just what this man was.

“A Mandalorian?” You asked in a quiet gasp, your mind running through all the varying information you had learned of them over the years. “What’s he doing here?”

His covered face tilted to the side as he looked you over, despite not being able to see what was underneath, you could feel the way his eyes raked over your frame in silence. Taking a step forward, your father answered clearly, “He’s here for you.”

Your stomach dropped. If you remembered correctly, Mandalorians were known bounty hunters and damned good ones at that. “Me?”

The look of terror must have been clear on your face as he gave a low chuckle and a soft smile. “No, my dear child, he is here for you as your new guard.”

“Excuse me?”

Now the man of silence stepped forward, his throat-clearing before he spoke. “I’m having some ship trouble,” his voice came through the modulator and moved deep into the pit of your stomach. “I might be stuck here for a while and while inquiring for some work, I was made aware I was needed here.”

“As my babysitter?” You asked halfway towards the Mandalorian and your father. “I don’t need a damn babysitter.”

A knowing smirk crossed over your father’s lips once more. “Oh Maker,” he said like you were still a youngling running around with a dagger, an accident waiting to happen. “You need to be kept safe.”

Something in his tone was both soft and fierce, it was the kind of thing that you knew you couldn’t argue with, despite every fiber of your being screaming at you to do so. Squeezing your eyes shut and taking a deep breath to make sure you could sort your thoughts clearly, you thought about how the armored man said he was having ship problems, most likely meaning that he would be sticking around just long enough to get it fixed and being on his way again.

You could do that. A couple of weeks tops with the bounty hunter.

“Okay,” you finally said, letting yourself relax enough to shoot the strange man a smile. “Welcome to the shit show.”

—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feedback is gold. ;)


	3. Chapter Two - Princess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You are feeling a little down and looking for some sort of an escape.

It had been seven days since you had been assigned your newest and broodiest babysitter. 

He was quiet, hovering around you while you went about your studies, ran a couple of errands for those snacks you always liked to have on hand when the late-night munchies hit, and even spent the nights outside of your bedroom door like you were some kind of prisoner. In a sense, you suppose you were, given the stern talking your father had so kindly given you in the presence of the Mandalorian the following morning. 

“People are out to get me,” he had said nonchalantly while plucking a piece of fruit from the platter presented before him. “They will stop at nothing to see me fall and that means taking the one thing that I hold near and dear to my heart.” 

You knew it was a gesture of love. You had no doubt that your father wanted nothing more than to keep you safe and locked away in your room where the terrors of the galaxy couldn’t find you. Honestly, you were pretty sure most of the galaxy thought of you to be a myth. For as long as you could remember, Avin Vale, who just happened to be your father, was the kind of man you didn’t fuck with. While you had never actually seen him in action, you had heard the whispers when you were sneaking through the streets, your cloak clinging to the sides of your face in an effort to hide your identity. There had been wisps of beheadings, prisoners howling from their chambers keeping locals awake and the occasional missing person flyer stapled to various carts in the market. 

Despite knowing all this, you knew that if anyone really wanted to see the devil that he was, all they needed was to get to you. You _knew_ that it was all for your safety, but still, you wanted to have the life that so many others had. 

When you couldn’t sleep at night, you played scenarios in your head of sneaking out into the night, finding the kind of suitor who swept you off your feet with the promise of giving you every star in the galaxy, if it meant that you would be theirs. You pictured the day they approached your father, asking for your hand, this faceless being knowing just what to say so that your father accepted them with open arms and the blessing of a beautiful life together. At the end of your daydreams, you found yourself aching to have the kind of passion that had your lips feeling bruised and every bit of your skin explored by needy hands. 

It was almost pitiful how bad you ached for something you weren’t even sure you would ever get to have. 

Especially to a universe that barely knew of your existence. 

Sighing at the sudden consuming thoughts, you paid the near-human-looking man at the cart for your items and turned, nearly running face-first into your large and quiet escort. “Dank farrik,” you muttered placing a palm on his bulky armor and pushing back so that you could look up at his covered face. “I don’t understand how you can wear all that and still be so quiet.” 

His shoulder moved upward in a small shrug. “It takes practice.” 

Glaring up at him, you could swear that he was smirking under that damn helmet of his. “Sure,” you said curtly before scooting your way around him with your bag of various items clutched tightly to your chest. “I’m done now.” 

“Are you sure?” He asked, the modulator making his tone come out ten times more sarcastic than you were sure he intended, but given you had kept him out of the palace for the better part of three hours, you were certain he was only partially making sure. “There were a couple more carts up ahead that we didn’t stop by.” 

Shooting him another glare, followed by a very unladylike gesture, you moved away and began stomping back towards the general direction of home. Your father always insisted that the maids and other workers on the grounds could get you the things you wanted, no matter what time of day it was, but you had been able to convince him that getting out off the grounds made your likelihood of sneaking off in the middle of the night less likely. He was even more comfortable with the idea now that you had a shiny new shadow to tag along. 

For the next twenty minutes, the two of you walked in silence while your thoughts started to wander again. It was hard not to find yourself looking over your shoulder every couple of paces, not to see if you were able to lose the Mandalorian, but to see if you had anyone looking at you as anything other than a normal woman running some errands. Since your little card game had been broken up, you couldn’t shake the feeling like you were being watched. 

Especially even more so with the human spotlight walking only ten steps behind you. 

“No one is watching us,” his almost robotic voice cut through the shared silence. 

“Okay, now that’s just creepy.” 

You heard his heavy footsteps pick up slightly until he was now walking in pace with you. “Creepy that I’m good at my job?” He asked through his modulator.

“Yeah, that.”

“Hm,” he said, his visor moving to glance over to his right. 

You gave him an eyeball, one that you doubted he saw and continued to push forward through a small crowd of school-aged younglings, offering a soft smile to the littlest in the bunch in the process. “Well, it’s hard not to notice the way people are looking at us with you trudging on behind me. If I wasn’t a target before, I certainly am now.” 

Expecting some sort of response from him, you were almost shocked at the sudden silence that washed over the two of you once more. You knew you shouldn’t be surprised anymore, the man seemed to live in silence most days, you were starting to question if he was getting enough fluids considering you had never seen him take a pee break in the last couple of hours. Although, you were certain even if he needed to hit the head, he wouldn’t tell you. Especially seeing the grounds come into view. 

The usual guards were standing at the gate, nodding towards you and your companion before opening the gates to let the two of you through easily. “Evening Princess,” one of them said with that condescending tone in their voice that made you wish you were allowed to carry a weapon. “Find everything you need?” 

“Almost,” you replied, not giving the Twi’lek another glance. 

Heavy boots continued to follow behind you as you paraded your way towards the main hall. Eager to finally get yourself some nourishment and maybe sneak a couple of sips of wine while father was busy talking it up with Rafan, but to your surprise, both of them were standing at the entrance hunching in on each other in a deep conversation. As you slowed your steps, your father muttered something to his tanner partner with a nod, allowing Rafan to match his gesture and slip-on past you without a word. 

You already could sense what was coming next without the explanation. “You’re leaving?” 

A tight smile stretched the old man’s face, but it didn’t meet his eyes. “Just for a couple of days.” 

Throughout your whole life, your father traveled for work, meeting with other representations of power. There was a time when you were barely past his knees that you recalled crying and begging him to let you tag along, promising to behave, but every single time it never changed his mind. While you were used to his sudden absences around the estate, every time you found yourself wondering if it could be the last time. Especially with the sudden uptick in security around the place.

“Just a couple of days?” You asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“I’ll be back just before the party.” 

Once again, you knew his intentions were true, but you weren’t going to hold your breath on his promise. He seemed to know just what was going through your head at the moment because he gently placed his hand on your shoulder giving a gentle squeeze. “I promise,” he said softly, maintaining eye contact before his hand slipped down your arm, tugging your hand into his grasp. “Just promise you’ll be on your best behavior.” 

Tight-lipped, you gave him a silent nod. Seeming content with your response, he let go of your hand and took a step back to follow his second in command. For a moment, you stood there, your bag hugged to your chest as you listened to your father walk away. In all of your life, you were used to the absences, but it still didn’t stop the feeling of loneliness that always washed over you. 

Someone stepped closer to you and just by the shift in plates, you knew that your babysitter was scooting closer to where you appeared to have spaced out. He cleared his throat, coming out a little garbled before his modulated voice cut through the quiet. “Would you like to find something to eat?” 

If you didn’t know any better, you would think he was concerned for you, earning him a sideways glance. “If you are hungry, feel free to ask the staff to make some food,” you answered matter of factly before moving into the main hall and tossing your sack bag on the closest table and beelining to the large room to the left - the opposite direction of where you could smell the aroma of dinner being made. 

“You aren’t planning to eat?” He asked, clearly following in step behind you. 

Shaking your head, you moved through the large room, the racks stacked high with various types of liquors and wines. Your father was a collector of sorts and he always liked to have something to offer important guests when they arrived as a gesture of good faith. “I’m planning to drink,” you admitted as your fingers skimmed over the bottle at eye level. 

It was one that had a nice coating of dust, meaning that it had long since been forgotten in the vast collection. Grabbing it from where it was nestled, you blew the dust off in a puff, coughing as it clouded your senses for a moment. Content with your choice, you moved back out towards the main hall in search of a glass and a way to crack the damned thing open with little effort. “You need something in your stomach first,” his voice came through to your right. 

“Wine will be in my stomach.” 

There was a sigh, almost as if he had already grasped on to the fact that there would be no arguing with you right now. Without another word, the Mandalorian reached over and grabbed the bottle out of your grasp. When you turned to argue with him, you found his hand wrapped around the neck, giving it a tugged before a satisfying pop replaced the argument on the tip of your tongue. “Does the Princess require a glass or does she drink right from the bottle?” 

“Haha,” you said flatly before grabbing the bottle back out of his hands. “I’m not a princess.” 

He did that little head tilt he always did when you know he was cocking an eyebrow at you from under his helmet. “I beg to differ.” 

“Then beg.” 

Without another word, you turned on your heel, grabbing your belongings from earlier, and made your way towards the steps in the back of the hall. Pausing only enough to look back over to see if your shadow was still on your heels, you noticed he hadn’t moved from his spot. “You don’t need to stick around,” you insisted, moving so that you were facing into the dim stairway. “I promise I’ll stay in my room tonight.” 

No answer was needed before you began to move up the steps, counting them as you did - an old habit you developed as a child. Sometimes you swore it was a different number every time, but for the last five years you had never been off. Making your way through the softly lit halls, the lamps coming to life as they registered your entrance, you were thankful that you had a whole wing of the palace to yourself. Not only because you could sneak out a little bit easier prior to your new guard, but because you had the privacy to get lost in a bottle of wine and a book without fear of being interrupted. 

As the door to your room came into view, you paused, still half expecting to hear the Mandalorian trailing in behind you, but unless he had become even more of a shadow - you were one hundred percent sure that you were alone. 

Just like always. 

Pushing the door open with your shoulder, you noted that the housekeepers had been in sometime during the day to make your bed and pick up the clothes that you almost always had thrown around the place. They knew better to go really digging through your things, the one time you had caught a younger maid poking through one of your drawers where you hid a couple of your more, ahem, spicier late night readings and you saw red. That poor girl resigned so quick, you were certain she left smoke in her wake. 

You had felt a little bad at your reaction, but if your father had learned about the things you dived into in the late hours of the night he would probably have a heart attack. And then he probably would have really banned you from ever leaving the grounds. That was a luxury you could not afford to lose. 

Placing your bag down on your bedside table, you flopped on the bed with your wine in hand before bringing the bottle to your lips and taking a long swing. The liquid was sweet, reminding you of honeydew as it slid down your throat so smoothly, you were taking another long draw before you had completely finished the first. Having plans to dig into your forbidden pile of reading, you moved to get up but felt the desire to run a bath instead. 

Waiting for the tub to fill, you continued to drink from the bottle until it was just enough for you to strip down bare and slide in. Of course, you were still clutching the bottle like it was your lifeline at the moment. “Happy birthday,” you muttered softly to yourself as the sadness finally settled in your chest. 

You didn’t give in to the ache in your chest that was begging for the normal release of tears. You had spent too many of your birthdays doing just that and you refused to have it be another repeat this year. So, instead, you continued to drown down the filling with gulp after gulp of the sweet wine until your body felt warm and flushed in the tub. It was all so comforting and cozy, just closing your eyes the littlest bit had you feeling like you were anywhere else. 

* * *

“Princess,” a voice came through as you groaned, twisting until you felt something cold splash across your cheek. “Oh, good, you’re breathing.” 

The modulated voice had you suddenly sitting up, the once warm bath water ice-cold as your choppy movements had it splashing all around you. The silver-clad man was standing on the opposite side of your bathing quarters, his arms crossed as his gaze was fixed where you were bunched up. 

Completely naked. 

“How long have you been in here?” You asked while trying to wrap your arms around you in an effort to keep your modesty. “It’s rude to interrupt a bath.” 

“More like a nap,” he said cooly but didn’t make any effort to move. “I tried knocking several times.” 

“I doubt that,” you replied, eyeing how your robe was conveniently just out of your reach and hanging to the Mandalorian's left. “I would have heard you.” 

Finally, the man shifted, uncrossing his arms and tipping his head to the side in that almost puppy-dog way of his. “You were snoring.” 

“I don’t snore.” 

A low chuckle came out of him now as he stepped forward to where you were. “Just like you aren’t a Princess?”

“Fuck you.” 

Even without being able to see his face, you knew he was smirking at you from underneath his helmet. The two of you glared at one another, well more as you glared at your reflection, for a couple of seconds. After a beat, he moved, turning away from your naked frame and snagging the dark purple robe from its hook, and keeping his eyes forward while his arm extended back towards you. 

Wordlessly, you took the covering, quickly standing and wrapping yourself in the thin material. Stepping out of the tub, you noted the bottle of the wine sitting on the ground by your feet and quickly scooped it up, taking a swig as you moved into your bed chambers. Naturally, your shadow moved behind you with ease, it was impossible to move without feeling his hidden gaze on your back. 

“Why are you in here?” You finally asked. “You can see that I’m okay, you don’t need to hang around.” 

In that silence of his, he moved a couple of steps back, leaning against the wall closest to his only exit. “I would argue otherwise.” His head nodded towards the bottle of wine in your hand. “If I had known you were going to try and drown yourself, I would have done a better job fighting you for that.” 

“You opened it,” you reminded him with another swig while settling down on the edge of your bed facing him. 

He gave you a half-hearted shrug. “Something told me that you would have found a way to get your hands on it otherwise.” 

“Huh,” another swig, “you are a little too damn observant.” 

Silence. 

You sighed, clearly picking up that he was in no rush to get out of your room, despite knowing that you were currently sitting half-naked in a very thin article of clothing before him. As you took another gulp of the wine before extending the bottle towards him. “Care for some?” 

Shaking his head, he held up a hand towards you in silent nix of the offer. “I prefer to be alert at all times.” 

“Hm,” you nodded, shrugging and sipping from the bottle some more. That familiar warm feeling was beginning to wash over you once more. “I suppose you would actually have to remove your prized helmet to do that, right?” 

His weight shifted as he uncrossed his arms and leaned himself so that he was looking at your head-on. “It is against my code to remove my helmet in front of the presence of others.” 

“I know.” 

That damn head tilt of his again and you suddenly wanted to know all about who he was behind the mask. Maybe it was the wine that was in your system or the fact that you were certain it was judging you behind the safety of being a blank face to you. “Isn’t it the way? Or something along those lines?” 

“Something along those lines.” 

You nodded your head, looking down at the bottle in your hand, rolling it back and forth between your palms while noticing how much lighter it felt. “How do you… eat? Or drink?” 

His body shifted once more so that she was now standing and no longer leaning against the wall, but you knew that you had his full attention. “I do remove it,” he said, his voice soft in the quietness of your room, “but I have to be completely alone.” 

“What happens if someone sees you without it?” 

“Then I am no longer worthy of my title.” 

His title. You knew it was important. You knew that many of the Mandalorians you had read about in your studies were dying out or in hiding. It was one of the reasons you knew it was a huge deal for your father to be keeping him on sight and even more so if he was stuck with you. “Why are you here?” 

Your sudden blurting of a question had him shifting once more. “I’m here to keep an eye on you.” 

This time you didn’t hide your eye roll. “That’s not what I mean.” 

There was a huff, one that could almost be a sigh and you started to suspect you weren’t going to get an answer. But he surprised you as his distorted voice came through once more. “I’m here for a bounty, but due to the issues with my ship, I am with you until further notice.” 

“Just like a babysitter.” 

He moved so that he was leaning once more. “Something like that.” 

Another swig of your stolen wine and you felt another question bubbling up in the back of your throat. “Do you really think my dad will be back in two days?” 

“Do you want him to be?” 

It was a loaded question, one that you weren’t really sure if you knew the right answer completely. Another swig and a shrug off the question, you said something else entirely. “It’s my birthday.” 

“Well then, happy birthday.” 

“You sound so sincere over there,” you said flatly, cocking an eyebrow up at him. 

You watched as the Mandalorian shifted his stance once more. “I try not to get attached.” 

“To your jobs?” 

“Something like that,” he repeated his same words from earlier. “I am not usually one to… babysit, as you say.” 

Scooting yourself back on your bed a bit more, you felt the belt around your waist loosen, but the wine was making you less concerned about how modest you looked. Part of you was curious to know if this Mandalorian was capable of getting all hot and bother underneath all that gear. Judging by the way he was shifting himself on his feet once more, as you moved just enough that the swell of your breast was exposed to the chill in your room, you felt like you were getting the answer you wanted. “I have a question,” you stated, sitting up more and leaning forward so that you could really look him in his visor. 

“I feel like I shouldn’t be surprised by that.” 

Ignoring that, you pushed forward. “Why are you babysitting me? Especially if it isn’t something you usually do?” You moved, crossing your legs under the long sleek fabric pooling around you. “I’m sure you’ve heard all about how I can handle my own. I’ve been doing it for years.” 

He was quiet, his gaze fixed on where you were sitting on the bed cradling the bottle of wine like it was your only source of comfort. He continued to stay quiet while you blinked, not daring to look away from him knowing that he could easily slip out without a trace. “I have been asked to not disclosed that information.” 

“Meaning that my father wants me to be kept in the dark.” 

Silence. 

With a sigh you threw yourself back into your overly plush pillows, feeling the feathery puff of them surround your face and shoulders. “I shouldn’t be surprised anymore.” 

If you hadn’t heard him step forward, you would have been certain that he had taken your sound of defeat as an excuse to leave. “He just wants you to be safe.” 

“I know.” 

He cleared his throat now causing you to roll over and look at his station by the door. “Any other questions for me tonight, Princess?” 

You still hated the nickname, but this time you smirked when he said it. Maybe it was the way he said it, maybe it was the wine, or maybe because you were too tired to come up with a proper comeback at the moment, but as you felt your eyes get heavy with the need to sleep, “Not tonight, Mando.” 

As your eyes fluttered close and the slow feeling of sleep washed over you, you could have sworn you heard a whisper not too far from where you lay. “It’s Din.” 

—


End file.
